Category Archives: Uncategorized

Roel Raymond, in RoarMedia, 26 February 2018, with this title “Portuguese-Sri Lankan Surnames And Their Meanings” ….. https://roar.media/english/life/history/portuguese-sri-lankan-surnames-and-their-meanings

The Portuguese arrived in Ceylon, or Ceilão, as they called it, by chance. In 1505, a fleet commanded by Lourenço de Almeida—the son of Francisco de Almeida, the first viceroy of Portuguese India—was blown into Galle by adverse winds. It was thirteen years later, in 1518, that the Portuguese established formal contact with the Kingdom of Kotte, ruled by Vira Parakrama Bahu, and were permitted to build a fort in Colombo.

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A de luxe edition of FACETS OF CEYLON HISTORY THROUGH THE LETTERS OF JERONIS PIERIS, by Michael Roberts, has been printed by Bay Owl Press in 2020 to replace the 1976 edn and is available for Rs 6500/ at Turf Equipment Ltd,  17A,  Swarna Road, Colombo 6 as well as Barefoot,  Cargills Book City,  Sarasavi,  Vijitha Yapa,  Gallery Café bookshop, JamFruitTree, Kalaya,  Pendi & Urban Island…. while foreign purchases could be secured via http://www.pererahussein.com.

The main text is the same as in 1976; but the index has been extended and numerous photographs of historical value have been added.

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Earlson Forbes,** Courtesy of The Ceylankan, XXIII: 3, August 2020, where the title differs a mite

Ceylon’s third Prime Minister, Sir John Kotelawela, was known as an outspoken, strong  and, as some would say, a flamboyant leader.  He had a chance of being the second Prime Minister of Ceylon when the first Prime Minister of Independent Ceylon, D. S.  Senanayake, passed away in 1952.  Sir John was a strong contender for the vacant position.  However, he was overlooked for appointment and the son of D. S. Senanayake , Dudley Senanayake,  was appointed to the position.  As fate would have it, Sir John did not have to wait long for his second shot at the Prime Ministership.  Dudley Senanayake’s period as Prime Minister was riddled with civil unrest.  In 1953, he resigned and this time around Sir John was chosen as the third Prime Minister of Ceylon. 

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NOTE from Michael Roberts, 20 October 2020:

About a week back a Sri Lankan circuit of avid emailers presented an You Tube Video re China and the Covid virus. SEE ….

While I circulated it, I had immediate reservations –albeit without expertise on China. For ONE. The tentative speculative style of the charges levelled at China raised my suspicions: I read that as a technique meant to cajole readers into accepting the allegations. For ANOTHER, I had enough knowledge on China to laugh at the claim that Shanghai and Beijing were/are close to Wuhan – I have visited both cities as a tourist.

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 Jolly Somasundaram, reviewing “Jataka Stories Retold” (in English) By P G Punchihewa and Mallika Karunaratne ………… ISBN No:  978-955-54441-1-8:  186 pages:  Price Rs 360.

Hinduism and Buddhism, the world’s oldest practised religions, have similar salvation mechanisms.  Their believers could achieve Moksha or Nirvana through numerous re-births- -there are no 19A term limits for them. Their re-birth workout is spread over aeons of time. In these re-births, self-correction takes place, eventually making them suitable to achieve the ultimate.

Vale: Joe Hoad, Barbadian Virtuoso

Michael Roberts

Joe Hoad was multi-skilled … in the manner unique. A Bajan man from the elite White ruling elements in Barbados he had no colour prejudice whatsoever and moved with ease among Aboriginal Australians as well as Sri Lankans …. as seen so famously in his affinity with Pissu Percy when they met in Galle in 2015 during the Windies Test match in October 2015.

Absorbing the Farewell Hakaz for Jonah Lomu in 2015

Michael Roberts

Tears welled up as I watched the public funerary rites for Jonah Lomu, the Kiwi rugby great who died prematurely in November 2015. I cried …. as sadness overtook me. He was not a friend. He was, in fact, an enemy when I watched the All Blacks play the Wallabies at rugby in his prime playing days.

Palitha Senanayake

The Press and social media in Sri Lanka had been awash these days with what transpired at the recent summit between the Sri Lankan Prime Minister and his Indian counterpart Hon. Narendra Modi. The reason for this media interest had been the controversial request made my Mr. Modi, in response to Sri Lanka’s assurance that their foreign policy is ‘India first’. Mr Modi in turn mentioned  that Sri Lanka should implement the 13^th amendment fully to grant equality to Tamils and to accommodate Tamil aspirations. In [response], Mahinda Rajapakse sidelined the Tamil part  and stated that aspirations of ‘all the Sri Lankans’ will be accommodated in the proposed new constitution.